Ark Therapeutic Pencil Grip Sampler Pack

With both girls in school now writing has become a big deal. Hotrod Princess holds her pencil too close to the end. Snoopy is a lefty like me and is working on keeping her fingers in the correct position all the time.  I found a great company Ark Therapeutic that sent me one of there Sampler Pencil Grip Packs to try out for this review.  Pencil grip Sampler Pack sells for about $21.99 you can Click HERE to find it on there site or If you like to shop Amazon you can click HERE. The pack comes with 13 grips. It is perfect if you are hunting for a grip that works for your child. It has a little of everything.

there is two grips missing from this photo

1 Butter Grip- the round design promotes an open web space and helps prevent hyperextension
1 The Pencil Grip- a classic grip that guides the fingers into place
1 Jumbo Grip- its a larger version of the The Pencil Grip for additional support up to the second knuckle
1 Crossover Grip- the same design as The Pencil Grip, but with wings to prevent the thumb and pointer finger from crossing over each other.
1 Pinch Grip- similar to the Crossover Grip, but with a miniature version of the "wings" for less restraint
1 Grotto Grip- similar to the Crossover Grip, but made out of a firmer material with an extra lip to keep the middle finger in place.
3 Writing Claws- 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large- three sleeves that guide the pointer finger, middle finger, and thumb into the correct tripod grasp
1 Foam Grip- a cushioned grip for those who may grip the pencil too tightly or need a fatter pencil
1 Ridged Foam grip- similar to the Foam Grip, but with a slightly bigger diameter and ribs for extra tactile input
1 Triangle Grip- a triangular Design that provides a tactile cue for correct finger placement
1 Short Triangle Grip- similar to the Triangle Grip, but half the length and slightly bigger in diameter

We have spent the last couple weeks testing out the different grips looking for something that works

well for each of the girls. If you are looking for the right pencil grip the Ark therapeutic Sampler Grip Pack is the way to go. It gave us a large selection to try with out having to reorder again and again. Snoopy has taken to the Crossover Grip she likes it better than the Grotto Grip because it is made of a softer material and is more comfortable, she has a tendency to hold her pencil too tight.  Hotrod Princess has used them all and still has not settled on any one grip. She does seem to grab the The Pencil Grip a little more than the others.                                                                                

Right now I am keeping them all in a jar on my desk so they have the opportunity to try out different ones and find what works best for them. I sent the small Writing Claw over to one of my nieces she is 3 and learning to write and has a hard time remembering how to place her fingers on the pencil. It is the perfect size for her little fingers and seems to be working well for her.

this photo is from the Ark Therapeutic site
I loaned ours to my niece to try out and forgot
to snap a picture.

Disclaimer I received a free sample of this product to try out for this review. All opinions are my own or that of my kids. Photos may not be copied with out my permission. 

Back-to-School Allergy Tips

As a mom with two little girls who both suffer from allergies I am always looking for a way to reduce allergens in our home. Iv been working with The Claritin  Moms Crew to help other moms with munchkins that suffer from seasonal Allergy's.  Today I want to share some very useful back-to-school allergy tips that Children's Claritin sent to me. I use many of these tips in my home and find that they really do help the girls.

1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!

2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your

child’s daily routine.

3. Let there be light! Mold doesn't like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy

during the summer months!

4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow

your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.

5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing

machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.

6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days

can be particularly high in pollen.

7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens

from body surfaces and hair.

8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the

day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.

9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the

day.

Disclaimer: "As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience." 

FunBites are Back

FunBites are back to kick off the new school year with a cool new shape Triangles. We got the opportunity to work with FunBites again.  We love the other FunBites shapes that we tried out last year and were excited to add Triangles to our collection. We use them on everything sandwiches, pancakes, french toast, cake, toast, cheese, hamburgers you name it we have probably tired to cut it with FunBites. We found the triangles to be just as easy to use as we did the other shapes. The girls love cutting things up with them. FunBites makes perfect bite-sized pieces for school lunches trips to the park etc. Hears how you do it and a little bit more information in case you didn't catch it last time.

FunBites is the first state of the art kitchen tool that cuts kids food into bite sized fun shaped pieces. They are 100% made in the USA!,they are BPA Free and top Rack dishwasher safe.

To use follow 3 easy steps:
Step 1: place FunBites cutter on top of food. Remove popper top and set to the side.
Step 2: Grab cutter handles on both sides press down firmly and rock 5-6 times to cut through the food.
Step 3: Lift the cutter up, insert popper top and pop out the bite-sized pieces!

That's all there is to it.

Hears a Quick shot of the FunBites triangle straight from the FunBites site.












Disclosure: I received the FunBites Triangle shape free of charge in order to test the product to write the review. All opinions are my own or that of my kids.

Gutzy Gear Party

A sample of our Gutzy gear Party Items

So you probably want to know what Gutzy Gear is right? Gutzy Gear is a great way to express yourself by customizing your backpack, Sports duffel, messenger bag, and a lot more! Gutzies are cool removable patches. They stick to a Gutzy strap cover tat you can put on any strap. There are 56 Gutzies in a series and new Gutzies are constantly being introduced. Kids can collect and trade them friends and family. Gutzy Gear is about showing the world who you are in a fun way.  Check it out hear http://www.gutzygear.com

A few of the Kids showing off there Gutzy

This past weekend we held a Gutzy Gear Party at our house. We called up friends and family and ask them to come over. With a bunch of kids piled around the table we played some Gutzy games had some snacks, and got the kids excited about going back to school. I started out by giving each one of the kids a Gutzy strap cover. I opened up all the Qutzy patches and put them in a big bowl in the middle of the table and we let the kids take turns picking out a Patch to put on there Gutzy strap. We had a few arguments over who got watch patch but once they found out they could take them off and on and trade them around they were excited. The kids ended up trading patches several time by the time they went home. They all left excited about heading back to school in a few weeks to show off there new Gutzy Gear. I even loved them and made some for my camera bag and now I want the Shady and beach bum Gutzy.

The Strap covers sell for about $9.99 and the Gutzys sell for about $4.99 and you get two in a pack. Not a bad price for something fun for your kids to do that they can use and change around all year long.  If you don't want to order your Gutzy Gear on line you can find them at Walmart, Target, K-mart, and Toys r us.

We received the materials for the Gutzy Gear party free of charge as part of a Mom Select Party Hosting Package. The kids had a great time Thanks Gutzy Gear and Mom Select!!!